The present invention relates generally to hardware for mounting or suspending lighting fixtures to walls or from overhead ceilings, and more particularly to fixture joiner hangers and end hangers that are used for hanging lighting fixture elements or modules either singularly or in an array to produce a complete lighting system. The invention specifically pertains to so-called "linear" lighting systems comprised of stand alone or articulated elongated fixture elements or modules, modules that are provided in uniform crossectional shapes, typically round, square or rectangular, and that can be fabricated of extruded materials. Such fixtures can use fluorescent, incandescent or HID light sources and can be configured into lighting systems for commercial, institutional and office environments. Linear lighting systems may, within the same system, be comprised of indirect lighting or direct lighting fixture elements or modules of various standard lengths or a combination of both indirect and direct fixtures modules.
Presently, installation of linear lighting systems is a time-consuming and relatively costly, labor intensive process involving installation of permanent hanging hardware throughout a building from which oftentimes hundreds of feet of linear fixture elements are permanently secured by screw attachments or the like. Typical hanger hardware include the use of solid stems, or aircraft cable for suspended fixtures, or mounting brackets for surface mounted fixtures. Suspended and wall mounted rotatable fixture mountings have also been devised wherein a linear fixture element is suspended between two wall or ceiling mounted end hangers that are bolted to the end of the fixture. The fixture hangers of whatever type are placed at spaced intervals and mechanically attached to the room ceiling or wall surfaces, for example, eyebolts in an overhead ceiling are normally used in the case of aircraft cable suspensions. Where the fixtures are surface mounted they are typically bolted to ceiling or wall mounting brackets. In all the foregoing examples of hanger hardward, the housing of the fixture modules used in the installation must be drilled and/or provided with hardware that will accomodate the specified hangers. This means that the manufacturer must make a large variety of basic module design variations available to its customers, adding to production costs and delivery times.
Another connector device that has been devised includes a cable suspended bracket formed in two halves for clamping the end of the fixture, with the bracket being opened by moving the upper half of the bracket upwardly on the hanger cable. While this latter design provides for somewhat easier installation, it has the particular disadvantage of preventing the brackets from being suspended close to the ceiling due to the need to move the upper half of the bracket upwardly on the hanger wire in order to allow proper removal and insertion of the fixture.
The present invention is intended to greatly simplify the installation process for linear lighting fixtures and to provide for a modular articulated linear lighting system that can readily be modified, added to or customized to meet particular and changing lighting needs. Typically, once in place, a lighting system comprised of an array of individual linear lighting elements cannot be changed without substantial reinstallation work. For example, it may be desirable to exchange a faulty fixture element altogether, or to change the lighting fixtures from direct fixtures to indirect fixtures, or vice versa, or to change lenses on a fixture to modify light distribution patterns, or to actually reposition fixtures. It may also be desirable to add to a fixture array already in place, for example, to provide additional task lighting to a series of new work stations in a computerized office.
The present invention provides lighting fixture hanger units for use with an array of linear lighting elements or modules wherein the fixture modules can easily be inserted in or removed from the array by means of a quick release removal operation, or wherein the fixtures can easily be rotated within the hanger units to change between up, down or side lighting. The hanger unit of the invention at the same time blends with the external appearance of the lighting modules used such that the lighting system looks to be a continuous, aesthetically pleasing structure uninterrupted by obtrusive hanger hardware. If an articulated look is to be emphasized the hanger units can be given a color different from the fixture modules. Importantly, fixture modules used with the invention can be standardized in terms of connecting hardware which will fit all varieties of hanger units.